Snake Symbolism in Cleopatras Suicide Scene :: Egypt History Essays

Snake Symbolism in Cleopatras Suicide slam regardAn asp bite creates a particularly awkward, excruciating demise. The asp nastiness causes blood poisoning and an intense burn at the site of the wound. This vehement is quickly forgotten, however, as the bite victim fades into a state of fatuousness accompanied by nausea and extreme thirst. Blood clots form as the skin becomes speckled with purple spots, and there is usually a spacious amount of swelling. The victim then goes into convulsions, vomiting, urinating, and defecating uncontrollably (Hughes-Hallet 106). This is not a closing suitable for a queer, let alone pantywaist Cleopatra. Nonethe slight, writers end-to-end taradiddle have designated the asp to be Cleopatras suicide weapon. Her death is described as either an ecstatic orgasm or a serene strip show into eternal slumber. Analyzing her death with an eye for accuracy, we can see that it is highly incredible that Cleopatra would have chosen to kill herself with an asp. Asp is an imprecise term, which referred to many motley African vipers, all of which would have left her corpse looking less(prenominal) than beautiful. The death that Cleopatra is described to have experienced resembles the death caused by a cobra sting, not an asp bite. A cobra would have had to be at least four feet long to excrete enough spite to kill Cleopatra and her cardinal maids (Hughes-Hallet 107). Since writers have taken liberties with their descriptions of Cleopatras death scene, representing the asp in various ways, we should ask, What does the serpent symbolize in Cleopatras suicide, and how does this representation affect the overall portrayal of the Queen and her suicide? The glide in the grass has acted as a diverse symbol passim tarradiddle, representing immortality, evil, femininity, and masculinity. In the book Dream Animals, Marilyn Nissenson and Susan Jonas further reveal the awe that the ophidian has inspired throughout the centuries, They serpents were believed to mediate between life and death, earth and sky, this knowledge domain and the next (19). The snake slithers through our subconscious, evoking varying associations. Cleopatra identified with the snake during her life, and it becomes take down more highly symbolic in her death. By examining three movies (DeMilles Cleopatra, Mankiewiczs Cleopatra and the rudiment version of Cleopatra) and 2 dramas (Shakespeares Antony and Cleopatra and Mary Sidneys Tragedy of Antonie) different symbolic representations of the snake emerge along with contrasting depictions of the Queen of the Nile. These varying representations of the asp and just some contrary portrayals of Cleopatra prove to us that we know very little active the enigmatic ancient Queen.Snake Symbolism in Cleopatras Suicide Scene Egypt History EssaysSnake Symbolism in Cleopatras Suicide Scene digestAn asp bite creates a particularly awkward, excruciating death. The asp venom causes blood poisoning an d an intense burn at the site of the wound. This burn is quickly forgotten, however, as the bite victim fades into a state of dizziness accompanied by nausea and extreme thirst. Blood clots form as the skin becomes speckled with purple spots, and there is usually a immense amount of swelling. The victim then goes into convulsions, vomiting, urinating, and defecating uncontrollably (Hughes-Hallet 106). This is not a death suitable for a Queen, let alone Queen Cleopatra. Nonetheless, writers throughout history have designated the asp to be Cleopatras suicide weapon. Her death is described as either an ecstatic orgasm or a serene shift key into eternal slumber. Analyzing her death with an eye for accuracy, we can see that it is highly incredible that Cleopatra would have chosen to kill herself with an asp. Asp is an imprecise term, which referred to many various African vipers, all of which would have left her corpse looking less than beautiful. The death that Cleopatra is describ ed to have experienced resembles the death caused by a cobra sting, not an asp bite. A cobra would have had to be at least four feet long to excrete enough venom to kill Cleopatra and her two maids (Hughes-Hallet 107). Since writers have taken liberties with their descriptions of Cleopatras death scene, representing the asp in various ways, we should ask, What does the snake symbolize in Cleopatras suicide, and how does this representation affect the overall portrayal of the Queen and her suicide? The snake has acted as a diverse symbol throughout history, representing immortality, evil, femininity, and masculinity. In the book Dream Animals, Marilyn Nissenson and Susan Jonas further reveal the awe that the snake has inspired throughout the centuries, They snakes were believed to mediate between life and death, earth and sky, this cosmea and the next (19). The snake slithers through our subconscious, evoking varying associations. Cleopatra identified with the snake during her life, and it becomes withal more highly symbolic in her death. By examining three movies (DeMilles Cleopatra, Mankiewiczs Cleopatra and the first rudiment version of Cleopatra) and two dramas (Shakespeares Antony and Cleopatra and Mary Sidneys Tragedy of Antonie) different symbolic representations of the snake emerge along with contrasting depictions of the Queen of the Nile. These varying representations of the asp and some contrary portrayals of Cleopatra prove to us that we know very little about the enigmatic ancient Queen.